Guardian Angel: Naruto's Gift
by PurpleNuts
Summary: "A fallen angel; destined to fly, broken and crazy but too strong to cry." He said quietly to the darkness of his soul. Naruto stares at the vermilion eye that glowed with hate. "I will bring peace to this world, even if I have to destroy it first."


_-"A fallen angel; destined to fly, broken and crazy, but too strong to cry."_

**Start:**

Deep within the forests of Fire Country, where the proud nin of Konoha and Samurai of the Daimyo reined over all military powers, where the once most powerful shinobi to walk the earth, Yondaime Hokage, had resided, two shinobi were fighting. In the valley where the First Hokage met his former best friend, Uchiha Madara, in combat that eventually changed the land geographically, two nin fought. One sought the chance to grow stronger to kill the one that had wronged him, while the other fought to bring back the young man he saw as a brother.

Naruto felt the pounding of the blood in his head. He could feel the veins bulged and contract with the pumping of his blood that matched the pace of his weak heart. His breath barely came; it took all his effort to draw the feeblest of breaths. His limbs were weak and wary, could not support his weight. His stomach felt empty, which was redundant by the bile and blood that dribbled down his chin to stain his once bright orange garb. The once pristine, if obnoxious, jumper and pants had been torn and burn and ripped and cut and worn down to the barest of threads. The roaring of the near by waterfall was deafening, the smell of burning wood and blood made him think of darker times, the gentle breeze like a raging blizzard. The coppery taste of his blood makes him want to vomit the food that had already been regurgitated.

But his eyes.

His eyes are the ones that hurt the most. For before him, stood the young man that he once saw as a brother, but no more.

For that brother had shoved an arm of lightning and thunder through his chest. It was only through the selfish and greedy acts of an Ancient Demon, the Kyuubi no Yoko, that he had survived the deadly attack. The demon had no morals of life and peace and harmony. Its sole purpose was to rip and tear and destroy and devour. There was once a time when it roamed the earth, its tails causing earthquakes to rumble, tornadoes to tear, tidal waves to crush, and volcanoes to burn. Its power had no equal on this earth. That is why it took the sacrifice of two human lives to summon a god to stop it and seal it within Naruto.

His idols soul had been the payment, with his humanity as the constant sacrifice. His humanity had been sacrificed not ten minutes after his birth.

Naruto hung limply from Uchiha Sasuke's forearm. The pain and betrayal that Naruto felt had hurt him; hurt him deeply. This was it, he couldn't save a friend. His word meant nothing; all the things he had accomplished meant nothing, from the profound to the inconsequential. The time he mastered the Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and with it defended one of the first people to accept him for him. The time he successfully replaced himself with Kiba when he almost kissed the traitor in front of him, the time he avoided the poke from Kakashi during his bell test by substituting for a log nearby. The time he rescued Kakashi from Zabuza's water prison, the time he defeated many water clones from the Kiri Nin in the Chuunin Exams. The time he had repelled Orochimaru for a short period even though he fell in the end. The time he mastered a technique made by the Yondaime Hokage in three short weekds, when it had taken the Yondaime three _years_ to compose and master to the point of instantaneous formation of the _Rasengan_. The time he used it against Kabuto to save Tsunade. The time he successfully pulled off the Kuchiyose Technique. So many obstacles overcome, yet here he hanged on the forearm of his once brother and team mate, now enemy.

"Et tu, Sasuke?"(1) Naruto hacked.

Sasuke's expression was not one that he would have imagined from the arrogant and aloof young man. His expression was pained, as if he didn't expect the action of killing his only friend to _hurt _so much.

"Does it make you happy and content, Sasuke, to know that you are no better then Itachi? That you would follow his footsteps, and eventually become the monster he is? Does it lift your spirit to know that you are allowing Itachi to win, by allowing him to destroy you, even though he isn't here? Does it lighten your burden to know that with your defection, you have completed the destruction of your clan?" Naruto whispered, on the border of death.

Sasuke's expression became both shocked and even more pained.

Sasuke stared at the form that hung on his forearm. What had he done? Who had he become? His goal and his doings were contradicting each other. He was no better then the monster that stole from him his mother and father. With a pained cry, he extracted his arm from his best friend.

He admitted it finally, and he never felt so good and so bad at the same time.

Naruto's pained grimace had Sasuke both worried and awed. How could Naruto endure this? How could he endure the pain?

"Because I must." Naruto seemed to know what Sasuke was thinking.

He gently laid Naruto on the shore next to the Shodaime's feet. With it he tended to Naruto with tearing eyes. He felt the change in his Sharingan and was scared.

Naruto was dying.

"I hate you Uchiha Sasuke. You had everything I could have wanted, the affection of our team mate and numerous other girls, you had the respect of our sensei, and you had the villager's worship. You throw it away for empty lies and false promises, you are more of a fool then I ever pretended to be. For this, I hate you, more then you can understand, more then I hate the thing that ruined my life. That took my humanity, that made my life a hell that no one should have to bear, let alone a child. I would take an eternity of torture, over a lifetime of solitude." Naruto said softly, his breath weakening.

Sasuke wept.

In the Forest near the Valley of the End:

Kakashi was a fool. All his life he had put people into categories he had emulated to match his team and/or other people. He had always seen himself in Sasuke, the genius, the prodigy, the prodigal son that would vanquish the monster that plagued him. He saw Sakura as the burden that Rin was before she became a medic. He saw Naruto as an unpleasant, untalented, unworthy ninja that had luck on his side, the same as Obito, only more foolish. He didn't judge people for the content of their character, but for the likely-ness of their behaviour to long deceased people he had known. He had been put off when Jiraiya had taught the Rasengan to Naruto, who would most likely show it off and cause serious damage to Konoha. He had been wary to know that he could use summoning to summon Toads like his Late Sensei.

But when he emerged from the forest and saw the sight that greeted him, his perfect filing system had shattered beyond repair. Beyond _recognition_.

Before him lay Naruto, still as the dead, not breathing, and his treacherous student bent over Naruto, weeping like a child.

He instantly appeared next to Sasuke. He restrained him with wire and chakra suppressing vest and handcuffs. He then knocked him unconscious.

He bent over his fallen student, his lone visibly eye shaking and tearing. Moister appeared on his hia-ate, and it spoke of the fact that even _Obito_ cried for his student. The scream that left his lips tore the air and overpowered the sound of the waterfall. The tall valley on either side of him let loose a small amount of debris from the volume and power of the vibrations in the air, and even the fish in the water appeared to have disappeared in fright. The damage of the valley was lost on him, for he had lost a student, though he had not been a good teacher. He would not be surprised if Naruto hated everyone underneath his false smiles and dull eyes.

Lesser men would have broken by now. _Kakashi_ would have broken by now.

He channelled the appropriate amount of energy to summon a Tsuchi Bunshin, and he ordered it to grab the captive, while he tended to Naruto. It nodded once, a dull look on its (covered) face. He placed his head in the proper position to listen for Naruto's breath and to see his chest rise.

He was disappointed at the lack of movement and very, very weak air movement. The only thing that clued him in on the survival of Naruto was his very faint Chakra Signature and his fluttering heart beat. He used some spare chakra to stabilize him with some healing techniques he knew. As he tore open the jumper and shirt to heal him, he saw something that made his stomach cold with dread and his heart stop in terror.

The Shiki Fuin was slowly unfurling. As if it was a blossoming flower in spring. It was hard to see, and he would have missed it if not for his Sharingan, that he had pulled out to use the Healing Technique. Millimetre by careful millimetre the ink moved.

Kakashi carefully applied a salve and bandage after healing most of the damage, and forced a few **Senshi Piru(2) ****down Naruto's throat. Already the colour of Naruto's skin appears full of color and blood, and his chakra picked up dramatically, but still within dangerous levels for someone with enough chakra to summon a veritable army at whim.**

**Kakashi gently placed Naruto on his back. He turned around to face his clone. He nodded once.**

**They both vanished.**

**At the Gates of Konohagakeru no Sato:**

**Sakura stood, worried about her team mate. And for some reason, it wasn't the team mate she thought it would be.**

**'****_Naruto Uzumaki_****.' She thought sadly.**

**There are many things that could be said for the blonde. Many people would call him dumb, an idiot, no talent, energetic, hyperactive, ADHD, fashion impaired, freak, monster, and demon. The later three she had only recently found out, from walking with her team down the main street of Konoha. People had whispered that, and she saw the effect it had on Naruto.**

**Or rather, the effect it ****_didn't _****have on Naruto.**

**This meant he was used to it. To be so abused and mistreated where he ****_accepted _****it would happen upset her. And while people would say those bad things about him, the select shinobi he has worked with and many other people outside of Konoha would tell people differently, Kind-hearted, tender, loving, fun, empathetic, considerate, ****_Hero_****. These were true, doubly in the countries he had helped. In Wave and Snow and Moon and other countries, he was- he ****is**** a hero. She felt sad that she had judge him before she got to know Naruto. She always assumed he was an annoying, if slightly cute, boy that asked her out on dates. Even when he had proven his bravery and valour many times over, she still hurt him, or didn't thank him in any way. When he saved her from Orochimaru, when he saved her from Gaara, the list was endless. She got the feeling as well, that he only asked her out, only out of habit then any real interest.**

**So why then did that bother her so much?**

**Her image of Sasuke has slowly deteriorated until she had to face herself.**

**Sasuke loved ****_no one_****, aside from maybe Naruto. And not in any sexual or perverted sense, but as kin, as a ****_brother _****he should have had.**

**The fact he would never look at a girl – never look at anyone like that ****_hurt_****. Naruto has once joked that Sasuke had no sexual identity, and didn't even plan to rebuild his clan for real.**

**He said that Sasuke probably expected to die fighting his brother.**

**Sakura found herself accepting those reasons as a very likely possibility.**

'_All that time wasted, my mom was right, he did break my heart.' _She thought depressed.

Those dark thoughts were banished when she saw the shinobi that went out return in a large group.

With the Group of Nin:

The large group consisted of Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, the retrieval team, Team Suna who has been sent as backup, and Lee. The Medic Nin around them had tended to the most seriously injured and healed them to the point where they could travel. But Naruto took a turn for the worse. He had been struck by a Chidori that used the tainted chakra of the Curse Seal. This in combination of the demon's vile energy running through Naruto's system, caused Naruto to suffer internally.

His Chakra Tenketsu, had all but been destroyed. The only tenketsu left were the ones on his heart, brain, lungs and other organs that would keep Naruto alive long enough for help.

It seems the demon wished to live longer yet.

Whatever its reason, Kakashi was grateful.

Naruto's body started to bear cut marks, and the wound that lay on his chest had opened and widened to its size when Sasuke had shoved his arm through Naruto.

Kakashi sprinted ahead when it happened, blitzing past Sakura who paled at the sight of Naruto, and also grit her teeth at the sight of the young man that had caused the damage. The whole group sprinted to the hospital, even though the only other serious injury was Neji's wound. Though it had been somewhat fixed by the Medic Nin who had escorted them back. Though they could do nothing for Naruto, as their healing chakra had been taken over by the malicious chakra's that ran amuck in Naruto's Chakra System.

With Tsunade:

Her footsteps were silent as death, as she walked down the halls of the hospital to the room where the young man that held her heart barely breathed. Her expression was one of anger only a true friend or lover could bear in the defence of another. The little blonde had stolen her heart, whether her feelings ran deeper than motherly/ sisterly affection remained to be seen. It hurt to lose Dan and Nawaki. She would be broken if Naruto fell to the darkness as well.

'_Not this time, I __**will **__save you, Naruto-kun.' _She thought desperately. She wouldn't allow someone she loved to die _again_.

It wasn't surprising to see the occupants of the hall part before her like she was a terrible god of vengeance.

She found all of the rookies and their sensei's waiting in the hallway that was adjacent to the operating room. Wasting no time, she went straight in, after tying her hair in a single pony tail to keep it out of the way.

With the Rookies:

Solemn silence echoed in the hallway, where everyone was gathered for the one ninja who could take down the Sandaime with a single jutsu. They talked quietly, remembering and gossiping and even talking about the mission.

"I remember the time Naruto painted the Hokage Mountain in broad daylight in bright orange clothes, and then managing to out run chuunin and Jounin. It was hilarious then, but awe-inspiring now, how did he do that?" Chouji said.

Kakashi, who didn't have his book out for once, commented "It's not because Naruto is any faster or smarter or better then the chuunin and Jounin, except in Stamina. But the fact that Naruto knows Konoha like he knows himself, he knows all the alleyways, the layout of buildings. His knowledge of Konoha layout and design surpasses even the people that built the buildings and roads."

Shikamaru nodded, "Naruto has always been able to find a way to, if not escape, then to avoid anything he wanted. I wouldn't be surprised if what he's been doing since the Academy had been one large, complex prank."

"What?" Tenten asked.

"Let me put it this way, from the information I've gathered. Naruto is a genius, surpassing that of even the Yondaime. He has successfully done things no one would think he was capable of. Like attacking and overcoming Zabuza Momochi, one of the Swordsmen of the Mist. He saved numerous countries, and with it gained the love of their people. He fought Gaara, a proverbial monster, no offence Gaara," Here Gaara nodded. "To a stalemate, and then managed to summon Gamabunta-sama, the same toad that Yondaime led to battle Kyuubi. He then managed to master the Rasengan in little over three weeks, and then use it to defend the _Hokage _from a _Jounin _level opponent." Shikamaru sighed as he looked at everyone's faces.

"If I had to guess, I'd say the idiocy and stupidity has only been a shield from everyone. He is loud and boastful, but he is a private person. I haven't heard him once say that he liked this, or his favourite colour is that. I'd be surprised if his team knew them." He finished.

Kakashi nodded once.

Sakura looked away with tears in her eyes, while also nodding.

A few hours had passed, and some more people had shown up, from the heirs Parents to Anko, of all people. When Kakashi asked her why she was here, she shrugged and said.

"I smelt his blood, came to see what happened."

Kakashi nodded. It was almost instinctive of ANBU to recognize Naruto's blood. There had been once a fear that people would try to hurt Naruto physically, so they all trained to recognize his blood.

There had only been one time where Naruto was hurt physically. A knife had been thrown into his back, from a drunken, rowdy group of genin and chuunin, all older then twenty.

That had been the emergence of the man who was known as the _Kami no Shinobi_. His wroth was terrible, as it shook the alleyway where they found Naruto.

The group was obliterated within seconds. And Kakashi, for the first time ever, feared for his life.

'_I wish the Sandaime would wake up._' He thought sadly.

The battle between Orochimaru and the Sandaime, had not cost the Hokage his life. The Sandaime was in the opposite room of Naruto, in a coma. Everyone had come to visit him and wish him well, but he had yet to wake up. Naruto was his most frequent visitor, even more frequent then his son and grandson. Tsunade had taken his place as Hokage, and she tried to visit him to help him out of his coma, but nothing had worked.

It almost seemed as if Sarutobi Hiruzen was waiting for something.

Hiashi was comforting his daughter, who was distressed at Naruto being hurt.

The same could be said for the parents of the other heirs.

Temari was quietly conversing with Gaara, and she had a firm arm on his shoulder.

"I know you want to do that Gaara, but think about this for a second. If you were to kill Sasuke, it would make Naruto's sacrifice meaningless." She tried to reason.

She knew straight away that she made a mistake by the tightening of Gaara's eyes.

Kankuro laid a hand on Gaara's shoulder as well. Gaara looked into his brothers eyes, and saw something that he hasn't seen in a long time.

Compassions.

"He will be fine, and I don't think crushing Uchiha Sasuke into paste will put you high on his friends list. If he even has one." Kankuro commented.

Gaara tersely nodded. Sasuke was in the Interrogation Department, and was to be kept there until he was put on Shinobi Trial.

With Tsunade:

She took off her gloves and her mask, and sighed. She looked at her patient and almost cried, but it was all they could do.

The rest was up to Naruto.

She turned to leave and inform the others, and she saw Jiraiya leaning against the operating room door.

His cold face and eyes reminded her that this man could quiet literally destroy a Hidden Village by himself if he felt inclined to.

She nodded once.

He didn't nod back, he only followed her out.

They met the anxious faces of all the people Naruto knew, and then some. Shizune stood by Tsunade's side, her ever faithful assistant.

"Naruto is dying." The words were like an arrow, and it struck true on the hope of his friends.

"Dying!" Sakura yelled.

Tsunade nodded. "The tainted chakra from Uchiha Sasuke's chidori had caused an imbalance within Naruto's system. His system is only operating around his most vital organs. His wounds won't heal, and his immune system is failing." Tsunade's voice was steady and flat, like an emotionless ninja.

But her tears spoke for her.

Everyone looked down in sadness.

With Naruto:

Naruto had been taken into a room, the one next to Sarutobi Hiruzen. There he would wait for death. The nurses and doctors eyed him sadly, he was an energetic boy, and he was tons of fun to be around in a place as dull and sad as the hospital.

Deep inside Naruto's soul, Naruto awoke.

He awoke to a starry night, the moon closer then he had ever seen it. It was almost like he could reach out and grab it. The bright stars twinkled merrily, and it almost lit up the dark place he found himself in. It was a dark and sparse forest, whose trees bore no leaves, and whose bark was rough like rock. They weren't tall, barely qualified as Trees, like himself, he supposed, just up and coming in the world. Each bore the semblance of sadness and loneliness and pain. He was on a hill, which was surrounded by other hills. On the side of the forest on the hill he was on there seemed to be a pathway of stairs leading up to the top. Confused as to where he was, and how he went from dying to this dark place, he decided to climb up the stairs. As he climbed, memories seemed to pass in front of his minds eye, too fast to see clearly, but the hurt and pain and solitude was – is still there. He felt himself grow tired and weary; still, the memories haunted him.

Forever haunting.

He eventually made it to the top, almost overcome by the grief of his past. He pushed past it, he was oil, and the memories water and they had no hold on him. They would swish past him, they would not overcome him. Looking up from the ground, Naruto saw a giant cage, the likes of which he has never seen before. It stood massively, overbearing and rank with _malice_.

A single, vermillion eye opened up, its slit pupil focusing on Naruto utterly.

Naruto froze, as though he was in cased in ice. The eye spoke of all consuming apathy, not hatred. For to hate was to think of humans as important enough to hate. No, the eye only saw itself as important, as constant.

Everything else was a variable. It tore and ripped and burned and devoured and destroyed, because that was its purpose. The humanity that he saw in the eye was for only that which caught its attention. Which did not happen a lot, unfortunately.

"**Foolish**." A voice boomed from the cage. Deep and powerful, almost godlike.

Naruto was still frozen.

"**To die for such an insignificant speck of dust, you are truly foolish**." The voice said once more.

Naruto finally responded. "What would a demon know, of humans?"

"**What would a child barely more then a nuisance know of his own people, as young as he is?**"

"Touchè."

"**That is such a big word, for a little boy.**"

"Cranky cause you're stuck in a cage?"

The eye lit up, showing its ugly face, the gigantic being in the cage reared back and slammed with all its might against the bars held back by only the smallest of paper tags.

It didn't even make a sound. The paper tag held true, and bars did not bend to the might of the Ancient Demon God, Kyuubi no Yoko.

"**You dare throw that back into my face! After helping your insignificant self with so many foes!**"

"Yu-p. Besides, most of my troubles wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gotten stuck into me." Naruto said, popping the 'P'

"You made my life hell, so I thought I'd get even, no matter how shallow or petty."

"**Hmn**." Kyuubi had amazingly calmed down some.

"Did you bring me here, or did I bring myself here?" Naruto deadpanned.

"**I brought you here, as the wound you sustained tested even your will. I am doing all I can to help, but the chakra of the traitor messes with mine, making it like poison to you. I cannot help you anymore, other then keeping your vital organs alive and functional. You are currently in the hospital, where you were treated by the one of false beauty**." Kyuubi said somewhat angrily, at having to die, no doubt.

Naruto went squint (3)

"False beauty? You mean Tsunade?" Naruto asked, while it's true he had noticed her beauty, he didn't really think about it. It made him deflate in more ways then one to see such an old woman that ….. well, that hot, to be honest.

Regardless, Kyuubi nodded.

"I'm dying."

"_**We're**_** dying**."

"Like I care for your life."

Kyuubi seemed to draw back, as if hit. Then it settled back into its original spot.

"**So be it. Go to your loved ones, you ungrateful little bug. I will communicate with you further when you are 'out there' as it were**." Kyuubi said, its voice flat and dead.

Naruto felt himself fall into oblivion.

With Tsunade and the rest:

"Can we see him?" asked Kakashi.

Tsunade nodded once.

She led them into a room where Naruto hung from a contraption. He was upside down, allowing blood to flow from his injuries, and bandaged from head to toe. The only thing visible was his left eye. The right had been damaged partially from the chakra chaos in his system.

Blonde locks of hair poked out of the bandages.

His brilliant cerulean eye looked at something far away, as it was somewhat glazed over.

Everyone crowded the room, with all the rookies up front where they could look after him.

Naruto's eye blinked before he gasped, then his eye started to dart around, looked at everything.

"I'm hungry." he managed to croak out.

Everyone deadpanned before select people started to snicker. It was something Naruto would say.

"You're always hungry." Tsunade said.

"Yeah…." He trailed off in thought.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto dared to ask.

All the adults' faces in the room froze in a mask of cold indifference, while the younger generation showed anger and rage at the mention of that traitor.

"How can you still ask about that traitor?" asked Sakura. Sakura hated Sasuke, he wasn't the prince charming she thought he was.

"When I was with him, after having been on the team for a few weeks, I started to wonder, is this, what it felt like to have a brother?" Naruto said.

Everyone flinched at Naruto's words.

"He is in a cell, waiting for his trial." Tsunade said.

Naruto appeared to accept that, Naruto had no illusions about what would happen to Sasuke.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" Naruto said.

"Yes." The word almost got stuck in Tsunade's throat.

"Why am I not surprised?" Naruto questioned. Naruto decided something right then and there.

He was going to tell his friends about himself being a Jinchuuriki.

"I have something to say to you guys." He started of. Not the best starting, but a start none the less.

"I haven't been entirely honest about a lot of things, my dreams, my hopes, myself. I said and boasted many things, I would be Hokage, I'd be the best, and No one would surpass me. These, are all lies I've told myself to keep going on, to push past the stigma of….." Naruto cut off, the words stuck in his chest.

"A long time ago, during the day I was born, a demon attacked Konoha. The Kyuubi no Yoko was a fearsome beast, able to cause earthquakes and tidal waves with a careless flick of one of its tails. For some reason, it decided to attack Konoha, regardless, it caused death. It wasn't until the Yondaime rode on Gamabunta to combat the Kyuubi did the shinobi of Konoha gain hope. With the Yondaime he carried a baby. That baby was me."

The rookies and others that did not know boggled. The older generation saw what Naruto was doing. The rookies were saddened at Naruto's wounds and nearing death. Naruto was doing this in the hope that they would hate him, and thus would not be sad at his passing.

The older generation held tears in their hearts at the selflessness of a broken child.

"The demon was ancient. In fact, it was said to be an Ancient Demonic God, as such, no mortal could take the creature down. Not even the Yondaime. Seeing this, he did the one thing he could do in that situation. He sealed it. He sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko inside of me using the Shiki Fuin, which summoned the Shinigami, in exchange for his spirit."

Silence.

Dead Silence.

Sobs broke out amongst the younger generation.

Naruto was confused. They were supposed to hate him, not cry. They were supposed to leave him in anger, not be saddened further. His plan had backfired.

The group broke up and rushed up to him, laying hands on his form gently, and saying sweet things. Like they accepted him, and that it only change was the content of his character to endure such a burden.

Tears leaked from his eyes in happiness, they ran up to his blonde locks and dripped to the floor.

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

The older generation was proud of their young, proud of them for accepting him for him.

Naruto stared blankly at the wall. Tsunade frowned in worry.

"Tsunade-chan?" he asked. She was behind him, so he didn't see the slight blush that came to her face when he called her that. Only Jiraiya and Kakashi saw, as the rest were helping their children or focusing on Naruto.

"Yes Naruto-kun?" she said warmly.

"I don't know how to say this… but Kyuubi wants to talk to you." Naruto said reluctantly.

"What?"

"Kyuubi wants to talk to you, he…. Er….. she?... hmm, It, keeps saying this really confusing words that sound like Fuinjutsu, and that it wants to talk to you. I think it found a way to save me… er. ….us."

Tsunade hesitated, on one hand; this could be a trick or a ploy for freedom by the demon.

On the other, this could save Naruto.

Her eyes shone with determination.

"Okay, how do I communicate with the demon?"

"**Like this**." Came a deep and powerful voice that didn't belong to Naruto.

Hairs stood on end at the powerful voice.

"This can't end well." Said Kakashi.

"**We can do this two ways, I can speak through Naruto, or I can drag you into the seal and speak face to face. Which will it be?**" Kyuubi said.

"I'd rather do it face to face, Tsunade-chan, I hate the feeling of Kyuubi speaking through me." Naruto said.

"So be it, Naruto-kun." Tsunade said softly.

"**Good, sit down or lie down, whichever suits you**."

"We're coming with you, Hokage-sama." Commented the Jounin. The genin looked at the hokage, and they nodded in silence, as if they could go too.

"**I don't care, it doesn't make much of a difference. All of you will lie down and close your eyes, you will feel a falling sensation, and then you will be inside the seal, so to speak.**" Kyuubi said.

They did that, and fell into a waking dream.

Inside the Shiki Fuin:

Naruto stood in a flowing white robe, with white pants. Simple, clean clothes he conjured after seeing his torn orange jumper and pants. He had retreated to his inner sanctum and waited for his friends to arrive.

_Clack_

_Clack_

_Clack_

_Clack_

The sound of clacking shinobi shoes, and the high heels of Tsunade, reached Naruto before they were two steps up the long stone stairs. Naruto was looking up at the vermillion eyes of the Kyuubi, who was staring at Naruto with a strange light in its eyes.

Almost humility or even enlightenment.

Whatever emotion it was, it scared Naruto.

_Clack, clack, clack, clack_ came the sound of foot steps again, closer this time. He could hear their heart beat, steadily rising. It made Naruto smile, happy to not be the only one scared of the beast.

Strangely, Kyuubi seemed content to look at Naruto, appraising him with an intent stare that had Naruto nervous, and blushing.

He felt like he was stark naked, and his soul laid bare to the Demon.

It was both humiliating and humbling.

He turned slightly, to look back at the stairs that rose up to the peak of the large hill where Kyuubi's cage rested. A few seconds after he had turned, Tsunade's head emerged from the edge. Soon to be followed by all the rookies and senseis. The parents had stayed outside to guard the bodies of those that went inside and to make sure nothing happened to Naruto physically.

They came to stand next to Naruto, with a few raising an eye brow at his clothes. He smiled when almost all the females hugged him, baring Kurenai and Anko and Tsunade. He hugged them back.

Kiba was fuming.

"**Enough, time for business**." Kyuubi intoned.

They all glared at Kyuubi.

He glared back.

They turned away.

Kyuubi grinned.

"What do you want to talk about, Kyuubi?" Tsunade said carefully, without emotion. Better to be stoic to this demon then to anger it.

"**I need your help to save Naruto. My chakra and the chakra of the traitor have run amuck in his system, destroying and tearing him from the inside out. Now, I have used my chakra to stall this, but I need you to continuously pump healing chakra into his system-**" Kyuubi said.

"That's it?" Tsunade said.

"**Of course not, I'm not stupid like your kind is, foolish woman. You will need to pump him full of chakra for more then two days. You need the help of the One of the Pervert, and the help of the teacher of sloth. You will need to carefully inscribe seals around him, containing seals of flame, chakra and **_**light**_**. Then you need to make a sealing matrix the size of the room on the roof and floor, and have them opposite energies, along with other miscellaneous things. This will be a catalyst for the revival of Naruto**." Kyuubi finished.

"What?" Tsunade said.

"**You heard me, I can't heal him, so I must enact a ritual that will trigger something that Naruto has in his blood, similar to a Kekkei Genkai, but stronger, so much stronger**." Kyuubi said, slightly happy that its container was a strong being. So it did not feel shame.

"A kekkei genkai?" Naruto asked.

"**Indeed, it's an old one, from distant eons in time; I had thought that your kind had been wiped in the Reckoning. However it seems that it wasn't**."

"Well, tell me, what does it do?" Naruto demanded.

"**You are the descendant of a very powerful being**." Kyuubi said.

"Who?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi laughed before replying, "**I'll wait until you heal to tell you who the person is, but the being was said to be so powerful, that when he attacked, even the heavens cried**."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the slightly cheesy and boastful end of Kyuubi's sentence.

"**Regardless, You and You and You, come near my cage and I will instruct you about the seals needed for Naruto's healing. Afterward, you will have to get the necessary supplies, from specific blood types for the seals, to different ingredient you will need to mix with the blood….**." The Kyuubi had said this to Kakashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade, who proceeded to go closer at Naruto's prompting. The Kyuubi trailed off at the end and started to talk quietly to the three powerful ninja.

"Only you, Naruto, could get in this much trouble and make it work for you." Ino said with a deadpanned expression on her face, dread in her heart at the sight of the demonic being in the cage.

"Aren't I a lucky soul?" he asked rhetorically with a touch of sarcasm and anger.

The rest of the gennin and Jounin merely looked on at the demonic being conversing with the three nin.

"You know, this is totally crazy, unreal and potentially disastrous. And still I think I'm safe with you Naruto. Your crazy is rubbing off on us." Kiba said snidely, angry at being so _calm _about the whole thing.

"Geez Kiba, I always thought it was you that was crazy." Chouji ribbed Kiba with a smile.

Everyone laughed, which didn't match the lacklustre surroundings.

**Fin:**

= Et Tu Sasuke, Meaning You too Sasuke? Search it on google if you want more.

= **Senshi Piru **= Soldier Pill

= Squint, where he would close his eyes to hide his real feelings or to act stupid. I got it from MountainWind, so all credit goes to him for the phrase.


End file.
